Chemical properties of polyphenols: a reviewfocusedonanti-inflammatory and anti-viral medical application

Abstract

Polyphenols are attributed to multiple biological activities that providenutritional and therapeutical benefits. The present paper is a descriptive review focused on polyphenolic chemical structural aspects contributing to explain biological and biochemical functions offered by these phytochemicals. Element conformation differences, ring modifications, the presence of specific functional groups, and the tridimensional chemical arrangement are fundamental to explain specific effects presented by polyphenols. The anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of polyphenols suggest that basic chemical reactions and element re-organization are important in understanding their function, well-known polyphenols such as quercetin, curcumin, and catechin have been evaluated in multiple studies. Moreover, anti-bacterial and anti-viral activities have been proven to be dependent on hydroxylation, methoxylation, and alkylation of several polyphenol ring components. Polyphenols extracted from tea, like catechins, proved to inhibit efficiently hepatitis C, Zika, and Chikungunya viruses. They have also acted as promising prophylactic and therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2.Epicatechin extracted from the hawthorn tree showed antiviral activity on several bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. The inclusion of these natural components in daily diets is of primary nutritional benefit and importance in the prevention of several diseases.

Phytochemical Screening and Toxicity Assessment of <>Imperata cylindrica</i> (L.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae) Raw Extracts with Brine Shrimp (<i>Artemia salina</i>) Lethality Assay

“…Finally, the third large secondary metabolites family revealed in this work are those of polyphenolic compounds, as also noted by Iram et al [47] in aerial part of I. cylindrica. Numerous studies have shown the preventive and/or therapeutic effects that polyphenols could have on chronic diseases, metabolic diseases, neuro-degenerative diseases, cell proliferation, inflammatory, diarrheal, viral, bacterial conditions and many other so-called non-communicable diseases [48] [49] [50]. The polyphenols effect on these many conditions is due to its antioxidant property and its ability to regulate certain intra-and inter-cellular signaling pathways.…”

Molecular interactions of some phenolics with 2019-nCoV and related pathway elements

“…Therefore, a safe orally administered pharmaceutical would be a breakthrough in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. In this context, organic molecules of plant origin always maintain their potential among possible treatment options against viral diseases (Chavez et al, 2006;Ruibo et al, 2017;Taguchi et al, 2017;Wu et al, 2017;Jahan & Onay, 2020;Piccolella et al, 2020;Cano-Avendaño et al, 2021). On the other hand, although herbal compounds are biologically diverse and accessible, drug discovery is an arduous process and molecular docking-based bioinformatics approach has become an increasingly important tool in this field in recent years (Meng et al, 2011).…”

Production of secondary metabolites using tissue culture-based biotechnological applications

“…Phenolics are an essential group of active compounds in phytonutrients and complementary medical systems. Modified polyphenols are also known for having various biological roles including antibacterial, and antioxidant activities ( Cano-Avendaño et al., 2021 ). It has also been reported that plant phenolics have potential to be used as antiviral agents against influenza viruses ( Wani et al., 2021 ) and human coronavirus ( Aati et al., 2022 ).…”